End effector for semiconductor wafer transfer device and method of moving a wafer with an end effector

ABSTRACT

An end effector for a transfer robot used in connection with the manufacture of semiconductor wafers is provided. The end effector is designed to handle very thin (0.005″-010″) semiconductor wafers which tend to bow during processing. The robot blade or end effector includes a deep pocket for receiving a bowed wafer. The depth of the pocket may be varied depending upon the degree of bowing in the wafers to be handled. Unlike ordinary wafer transfer devices, the present invention requires the wafer to be transferred with the surface bearing the devices facing down. The deep pocket allows the end effector to contact only the edges of the wafer, thus minimizing any defects across the wafer due to handling. The pocket opening is provided with arcuately shaped sloped wafer contact surfaces to prevent wafer sliding during robot movement.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08,897,750filed Jul. 21, 1997 now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Ser. No. 08/569,760, filed Dec. 8, 1995 (which issued intoU.S. Pat. No. 5,746,460).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the transfer of articles, such assemiconductor wafers, and more particularly to an improved end effectorfor handling and transferring very thin semiconductor wafers.

The use of robot arms is a well established manufacturing expedient inapplications where human handling is inefficient and/or undesired. Forexample, in the semiconductor arts robot arms are used to handle wafersduring various process steps. Such process steps include those whichoccur in a reaction chamber, e.g. etching, deposition, passivation,etc., where a sealed environment must be maintained to limit thelikelihood of contamination and to ensure that various specificprocessing conditions are provided.

Current practice includes the use of an end effector (also known as arobot blade or carrier) attached to robot arms to load semiconductorwafers from a loading port into various processing ports within amultiple chamber reaction system. The robot arms are then employed toretrieve the wafer from a particular port after processing within anassociated process chamber. The wafer is then shuttled by the robot armsto a next port for additional processing. When all processing within thereaction system is complete, the robot arm returns the semiconductorwafer to the loading port and a next wafer is placed into the system bythe robot arm for processing. Typically, a stack of severalsemiconductor wafers is handled in this manner during each process run.

Currently, a conventional robot end effector is used to transfer wafershaving a thickness of between about 0.020″ and 0.030″. Wafers having anormal thickness in this range are generally flat in that they typicallydo not exhibit more than about 0.005″ of bowing. Furthermore, suchwafers have sufficient weight to preclude slipping from the end effectoras it is swung or moved between process locations attached to a waferhandling chamber.

However, under some circumstances, it is desirable to have a very thinwafer in the range of 0.005″ to 0.010″. For example, very thin wafersare better heat conductors than wafers of normal thickness. The thinwafer is formed by removing all the excess silicon from the back side ofa wafer of normal thickness after the devices have been placed on thefront side. The wafer is preferably thinned out by a process known inthe art as “backlapping”, whereby successive passes are made across thebackside of the wafer with a tool until the desired thinness isachieved. Once the wafer is thinned to about 0.005″, the backside iscoated with gold, which results in a thin wafer with very good heatconductive properties.

Thinning of the wafer can cause problems, however. As the wafer isthinned, the materials forming the devices on the front side of thewafer induce stress and strain on the wafer causing it to bow. In manycases, this bowing is quite extreme. For example, wafers that have beenreduced to a thickness of about 0.005″ typically exhibit bowing of0.075″, and in extreme cases exhibit bowing of 0.120″ or more. Severalproblems result from the use of prior art end effectors for transfer ofthese thin, bowed wafers. Because the thin wafers are bowed like apotato chip, the wafer does not sit flat on the end effector. Unlesssome mechanism is provided to hold the wafer in place, it may becomedisplaced from the end effector during movement of the end effectorbecause the wafer does not have sufficient contact with the endeffector. The thin wafer also does not have sufficient weight to preventit from being displaced from the end effector during end effectormovement without some means for holding the wafer in place. Furthermore,as the thin wafers sit in the wafer cassette awaiting capture by the endeffector, the bowing of the wafers causes the space between adjacentwafers to be significantly reduced. Use of prior art end effectorsresults in breakage of a number of wafers because the end effectorcannot pass through the narrow space between adjacent bowed wafers inthe wafer cassette.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an end effector for an article transfer device.The end effector is preferably attached to a robot for transferringthin, bowed semiconductor wafers within a semiconductor deviceprocessing system. The end effector is configured to be inserted into anarrow space between stacked, bowed wafers in a wafer cassette. The endeffector is also configured to retain the wafer within a pocket formedtherein during wafer transfer.

According to one aspect of the invention, the end effector comprisessupport means for attaching the end effector to the article transferdevice, means for receiving an article to be transferred, and means forretaining the article within the receiving means during transfer of thearticle. The receiving means may be configured such that only the edgeportions of the article contact surfaces of the end effector. The endeffector may further include means for capturing an article within theretaining means. The capturing means may further include means forpermitting insertion of said end effector capturing means between a pairof closely stacked articles.

According to another aspect, the end effector includes a pocket forreceiving an article to be transferred and sloped article contactsurfaces surrounding the pocket. The sloped article contact surfaces maybe configured to contact the edges of the article and to prevent lateralmovement of the article as it is transferred.

A further aspect of the invention is an end effector comprising a rearsupport mechanism for attaching the end effector to the article transferdevice, a pocket extending forward from a front edge of the rear supportmechanism for receiving an article therein, and wafer capture shoeslocated at a forward end of the pocket. A lower, or non-substratesupporting surface of each of said shoes may exhibit a sloped surfacefor insertion of the pocket between bowed wafers. The sloped surfacesmay be configured to allow the pocket to be deep enough to receive abowed wafer.

Another aspect of the present invention is an end effector for anarticle transfer device comprising a rear support mechanism forattaching the end effector to the article transfer device, a thin flatblade extending from a lower forward edge of the rear support mechanism,an article capture mechanism connected to a forward edge of the thinflat blade, a pocket located above the flat blade portion of the endeffector for receiving an article therein, and sloped article contactsurfaces surrounding the pocket; said sloped article contact surfacesconfigured to contact the edges of the article and to prevent lateralmovement of the article as it is transferred. According to a furtheraspect, a second sloped surface may be provided adjacent to the articlecontact surface formed in said rear support mechanism. A lower leadingedge surface of the article capture mechanism may exhibit a slopedsurface for insertion of the pocket between bowed wafers. The slopedsurfaces may be configured to allow the pocket to be deep enough toreceive a bowed wafer.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, an endeffector for an article transfer device is provided comprising a rearsupport mechanism for attaching the end effector to the article transferdevice, a sloped article contact surface formed in an upper surface ofthe rear support mechanism along a forward edge thereof, a pair ofelongated rods extending horizontally from a lower surface of theforward edge of the rear support mechanism, and a pair wafer capture pincaps, each located at a forward end of one of said pair of elongatedrods. The sloped article contact surface may be configured to contactthe edges of the article and to prevent lateral movement of the articleas it is transferred.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view, partly schematic, of a multiple chambersemiconductor wafer processing system.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a thin semiconductor wafer.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of an end effector according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view in elevation of the end effector shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional side view of the end effector shown inFIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of an end effector according to a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional side view in elevation of the end effector shownin FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of an end effector according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional side view in elevation of the end effector shownin FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an end effector according to a fourthembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional side view in elevation of the end effector shownin FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is best understood by referring to the Drawings inconnection with review of this Description. The present invention is anend effector for handling and transferring articles. The invention maypreferably be used in a semiconductor device processing system, as isused in the manufacture of semiconductors on substrates, includingsemiconductor wafers and glass plates. For example, the presentinvention is useful for handling and transferring very thinsemiconductor wafers within the processing system.

In FIG. 1, a robot assembly 10 is shown in the context of a processingsystem. The robot assembly 10 is centrally arranged within a transferchamber 11 of the processing system. The robot assembly 10 is arrangedwithin the transfer chamber 11 such that semiconductor wafers W can betransferred to adjacent processing chambers 12, 13, 14, 15 throughvalves 16, 17, 18, 19, respectively. The robot assembly may, forexample, comprise a frog-leg mechanism as shown in FIG. 1.Alternatively, the robot assembly may comprise any of a variety of knownmechanical mechanisms for effecting linear extension into and out of thevarious process chambers. An end effector 20 is attached to theextendable arms of the robot assembly 10. The end effector 20 isconfigured to carry the wafer W on an upper surface thereof as the waferis transferred through the processing system.

As shown in FIG. 2, a thin wafer W may be bowed a distance d. Forexample, a 0.005″ thin wafer may be bowed as much as 0.075″. However,depending upon the wafer thickness and the type and thickness of film onthe wafer, the amount of bowing can vary. In extreme circumstances, thewafer may be bowed as great as 0.120″. The thin wafer W is formed byremoving all the excess silicone from the back side of the wafer afterthe devices have been placed on the front side. The wafer is preferablythinned out by a process known in the art as “backlapping”, wherebysuccessive passes are made across the backside of the wafer with a tooluntil the desired thinness is achieved. As the wafer is thinned, thedevices on the front induce stress and strain on the wafer causing it tobow, as shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIGS. 3-5, an end effector 20 according to a firstembodiment of the present invention comprises a rear support mechanism21 for attaching the end effector 20 to an article transfer device, suchas a wafer transfer robot 100, a thin flat blade 22 extending from thelower front edge of the support mechanism, and a wafer capture mechanismcomprising a pair of wafer capture shoes 23 a, 23 b located proximal tothe forward edge of the end effector 20. A wafer contact slope 24 isformed proximal to the forward edge of the rear support mechanisms 21,and wafer contact slopes 25 a, 25 b are formed on the trailing edges ofthe wafer capture shoes 23 a, 23 b, respectively, such that a pocket 26is formed in an upper surface of the end effector. An opening 27 may beformed in the blade 22 to permit lifting pins (not shown) to lift thewafer from the end effector once it is situated in a process chamber.The lower leading edge of the end effector 20 may exhibit a slopedsurface 28 to permit insertion of the end effector between closelystacked thin wafers. The sloped surface may be configured to slopeupward from a plane containing the blade to maintain a deep pocket forreceiving a bowed wafer, while enabling insertion between bowed waferswithout breakage.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wafer contact surfaces 24, 25 a, 25 b arearcuately shaped. This arc shape cooperates with the slope of wafercontact surface to form a funnel-like mechanism for retaining the thinwafer within the pocket as the end effector is moved. The funnel-likemechanism holds the wafer in the center of the end effector and preventsit from sliding off the end effector as it rotates. No matter howseverely bowed a wafer is, it will always contact at least one point oneach of the wafer contact surfaces 24, 25 a, 25 b, respectively, so longas the warpage is not so extreme that the wafer crowns over and contactsthe edges of the end effector between the ends.

Shown in FIGS. 6-7 is one preferred embodiment of an end effector 30 forhandling 6″ diameter, thin circular wafers. The end effector 30 issimilar to the end effector shown in FIGS. 3-5, wherein like referencenumerals indicate like components. The end effector 30 comprises a rearsupport mechanism 31 for attaching the end effector 30 to an articletransfer device, such as a wafer transfer robot, a thin flat blade 32extending from the lower front edge of the support mechanism, and awafer capture mechanism comprising a pair of wafer capture shoes 33 a,33 b located proximal to the forward edge of the end effector 30. Awafer contact slope 34 is formed proximal to the forward edge of therear support mechanism 31, and wafer contact slopes 35 a, 35 b areformed on the trailing edges of the wafer capture shoes 33 a, 33 b,respectively, such that a pocket 36 is formed in an upper surface of theend effector. According to a preferred embodiment, the wafer contactsurfaces 34, 35 a, 35 b exhibit a slope of about 10° from the horizontalplane. An opening 37 may be formed in the blade 32 to permit liftingpins (not shown) to lift the wafer from the end effector once it issituated in a process chamber. The lower leading edge of the endeffector 30 may exhibit a sloped surface 38 to permit insertion of theend effector between closely stacked thin wafers. The sloped surface maybe configured to slope upward from a plane containing the blade tomaintain a deep pocket for receiving a bowed wafer, while enablinginsertion between bowed wafers without breakage. According to apreferred embodiment, the slope of the surface 38 is about 21° from thehorizontal plane.

FIGS. 8-9 show another preferred embodiment of an end effector 40 forhandling 8″ diameter, thin circular wafers. The end effector 40 issimilar to the end effectors shown in FIGS. 3-5 and 6-7, wherein likereference numerals indicate like components. The end effector 40comprises a rear support mechanism 41 for attaching the end effector 40to an article transfer device, such as a wafer transfer robot, a thinflat blade 42 extending from the lower front edge of the supportmechanism, and a wafer capture mechanism comprising a pair of wafercapture shoes 43 a, 43 b located proximal to the forward edge of the endeffector 40. A wafer contact slope 44 is formed proximal to the forwardedge of the rear support mechanism 40, and wafer contact slopes 45 a, 45b are formed on the trailing edges of the wafer capture shoes 43 a, 43b, respectively, such that a pocket 46 is formed in an upper surface ofthe end effector. According to a preferred embodiment, the wafer contactsurfaces 44, 45 a, 45 b exhibit a slope of about 9° from the horizontalplane. An opening 47 may be formed in the blade 42 to permit liftingpins (not shown) to lift the wafer from the end effector once it issituated in a process chamber. The lower leading edge of the endeffector 40 may exhibit a sloped surface 48 to permit insertion of theend effector between closely stacked thin wafers. The sloped surface maybe configured to slope upward from a plane containing the blade tomaintain a deep pocket for receiving a bowed wafer, while enablinginsertion between bowed wafers without breakage. According to apreferred embodiment, the slope of the surface 48 is about 12° from thehorizontal plane.

The 8″ wafer end effector shown in FIGS. 8-9 also exhibits a secondsloped surface 49 formed in the upper surface of the rear supportmechanism 41 adjacent to the sloped article contact surface 44. Thesecond sloped surface is needed because an 8″ end effector extendsconsiderably farther into the cassette than a 6″ end effector. Due tothe additional extension of the 8″ end effector into the cassette, it ispossible that a severely bowed wafer may contact the non-sloped portionof the end effector causing dislocation or breakage of the wafer. Toovercome this problem, the second sloped surface 49 is needed to preventfurther wafer/end effector contact. According to a preferred embodiment,the slope of the second sloped surface 49 is about 4° from thehorizontal plane.

The end effectors shown in FIGS. 3-9 are preferably formed of a rigidmaterial, which is necessary to ensure that the end effector isstraight, flat and does not bend. This is necessary due to the lack ofclearance between thin wafers stacked in a wafer cassette. If the endeffector is not straight and flat, its leading edge may bump into a thinwafer as it attempts to retrieve a wafer from the cassette, causing thebumped wafer, which is very fragile due to the thinness, to break Toensure straightness of the end effector, it is necessary to constructthe end effector of a substantially inflexible material that will notbend and is also highly heat resistant. Examples of such substantiallyinflexible materials include ceramic, ceramic based compounds, silicon,silicon compounds, and quartz.

Additionally, to allow insertion of the end effector between closelystacked thin wafers, the blade portion of the end effector must be verythin. According to one preferred embodiment the blade portion of the endeffector is only 0.040″ thick. The sloped lower leading edge of the endeffector also facilitates insertion between two closely stacked wafers.The tapered edge allows the end effector to slice between adjacentstacked wafers better than a blunt leading edge which would likely smashinto one of the wafers as it attempts to pass between them. The slopedsurface may be configured to slope upward from a plane containing theblade to maintain a deep pocket for receiving a bowed wafer, whileenabling insertion between bowed wafers without breakage.

Normally, a wafer is carried on an end effector with the devices facingupwardly. However, in the present invention where thin wafers havingdevices on a front side and a layer of gold on the backside aretransferred, the wafers are transferred by the end effector upside down.That is, the devices on the front side of the wafer are facing downtoward the blade portion of the end effector. Therefore, to avoid damageto the devices, it is extremely important that the devices on the lowersurface of the wafer not come in contact with the blade portion of theend effector. This is accomplished by providing a pocket on the portionof the end effector between the ends which is deep enough to accommodatethe severely bowed wafers. For example, where the maximum bowing of awafer is expected to be 0.075″, a pocket having a depth of 0.080″ wouldaccommodate the wafer without damaging the delicate devices on the lowersurface. The depth of the pocket can be varied depending upon the amountof bowing shown in the wafer. The pocket allows only the edges of thewafer to contact the end effector along the sloped article contactsurfaces, thereby minimizing defects across the wafer caused byhandling.

The front wafer capture shoes (ie. 23 a, 23 b) aid in wafer removal fromthe cassette. The upper surface of each shoe 23 a, 23 b extends abovethe corresponding sloped article contact surface 25 a, 25 b by about0.02″ to 0.03″ to form a lip which engages a rear edge of the wafer,i.e., the portion of the wafer furthest from the end effector supportarm 100, in the cassette once the robot end effector has been fullyextended into the cassette. As previously mentioned, the lower leadingedge of each shoe 23 a, 23 b exhibits a sloped surface 28 to permitinsertion of the end effector 20 between closely stacked thin wafers.The sloped surface may be configured to slope upward from a planecontaining the blade to maintain a deep pocket for receiving a bowedwafer, while enabling insertion between bowed wafers without breakage.

An end effector 50 according to a further alternative embodiment of thepresent invention is shown in FIGS. 10-11. The end effector 50 comprisesa rear support mechanism 51 for attaching the end effector 50 to anarticle transfer device, such as a wafer transfer robot, a pair ofelongated rods 52 a, 52 b extending from the lower front edge of thesupport mechanism 51, and a pair of pin caps 53 a, 53 b located at theforward ends of the elongated rods 52 a, 52 b, respectively, forcapturing and retaining a wafer within the end effector. An arc shapedwafer contact slope 54 is formed proximal to the forward edge of therear support mechanism 51. The arc shape and the slope cooperate to forma funnel-like mechanism for retaining the thin wafer within the pocketas the end effector is moved. According to one preferred embodiment, thewafer contact surface 54 exhibits a slope of about 4° from thehorizontal plane. The lower leading edge of the end effector 50 mayexhibit a chamfer 58 to facilitate insertion of the end effector betweenclosely stacked thin wafers. By using a pair of elongated rods 52 a, 52b, the midsection of the end effector is removed, thus permittingtransfer of bowed wafers of almost any degree without contact betweenthe lower surface of the wafer and the surfaces of the end effector 50.

The elongated rods 52 a, 52 b are preferably formed from a highly heatresistant, substantially rigid material, which is necessary to ensurethat the end effector is straight and does not bend. Examples of suchsubstantially inflexible materials include ceramic, ceramic basedcompounds, silicon, silicon compounds and quartz. The rear supportmechanism 51 and the pin caps 53 a, 53 b are not subject to the samebending moments as the rods, and therefore can be made from a variety ofmetals and metal alloys. According to a preferred embodiment, the rearsupport mechanism 51 and the pin caps 53 a, 53 b are formed from KOVAR®,an alloy consisting primarily of iron, nickel and cobalt, and theelongated rods 52 a, 52 b are formed of ceramic. The ceramic rods 52 a,52 b are brazed to the KOVAR® support mechanism 51 and pin caps 53 a, 53b. Due to the similarities in heat expansion properties between KOVAR®and ceramic, a very good connection results from a braze of these twomaterials.

The end effector of the present invention can be designed to handlewafers of all shapes and sizes. Preferably, the end effector is intendedto handle thin wafers in the range of 0.005″ to 0.010″ in thickness, butthe end effector also handles regular thick wafers very well. The endeffector is also primarily designed to handle circular wafers of either6″ or 8″ diameter. Embodiments for 12″(300 mm) wafers, and non-circularwafers such as glass substrates are also contemplated.

The present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry out theobjects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as othersinherent therein. While presently preferred embodiments of the inventionare given for the purpose of disclosure, numerous changes in the detailswill readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and whichare encompassed within the spirit of the invention and the scope of theappended claims.

We claim:
 1. An end effector apparatus for an article transfer devicecomprising: a rear support mechanism for attaching the end effector tothe article transfer device; a thin flat blade extending from a lowerforward edge of the rear support mechanism; a pocket located above theflat blade portion of the end effector for receiving an article therein;article capture shoes projecting forward through a peripheral forwardend of the pocket; a lower leading edge of the article capture shoesexhibiting a sloped surface for insertion of the pocket between bowedwafers; the sloped surface configured to allow the pocket to receive abowed wafer; and sloped article contact surfaces located in the uppersurfaces of the rear support mechanism and the article capture shoes;the sloped surfaces for capture of an article and for restraining thearticle from lateral movement within the pocket.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the pocket exhibits a depth of not less than about0.075″ to prevent contact between the flat blade and a bowed wafer. 3.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pocket exhibits a depth of betweenabout 0.08″ and 0.120″ to prevent contact between the flat blade and abowed wafer.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sloped articlecontact surfaces exhibit a slope of not less than about 8 degrees from ahorizontal plane.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slopedarticle contact surfaces exhibit a slope of between about 8 and 12degrees from a horizontal plane.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe lower leading edge of the article capture shoes exhibits a slope ofbetween about 10 and 25 degrees from the horizontal plane.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second sloped surfaceadjacent to the article contact surface formed in the rear supportmechanism; the second sloped surface to contact the edges of a largerarticle and to prevent lateral movement of the larger article as it istransferred.
 8. An end effector apparatus for an article transfer devicecomprising: a rear support mechanism for attaching the end effector tothe article transfer device; a thin flat blade extending from a lowerforward edge of the rear support mechanism; a pocket located above theflat blade portion of the end effector for receiving an article therein;and article capture shoes projecting forward through a peripheralforward end of the pocket; sloped article contact surfaces located inthe upper surfaces of the rear support mechanism and the article captureshoes; the sloped surfaces for capture of an article and for restrainingthe article from lateral movement within the pocket.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 8, wherein the pocket exhibits a depth of not less than about0.075″ to prevent contact between the flat blade and a bowed wafer. 10.The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pocket exhibits a depth of betweenabout 0.08″ and 0.120″ to prevent contact between the flat blade and abowed wafer.
 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sloped articlecontact surfaces exhibit a slope of not less than about 8 degrees from ahorizontal plane.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the slopedarticle contact surfaces exhibit a slope of between about 8 and 12degrees from a horizontal plane.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein alower leading edge of the article capture shoes exhibits a slopedsurface for insertion of the pocket between bowed wafers; the slopedsurface configured to allow the pocket to receive a bowed wafer.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the lower leading edge of the articlecapture shoes exhibits a slope of between about 10 and 25 degrees fromthe horizontal plane.
 15. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising asecond sloped surface adjacent to the article contact surface formed inthe rear support mechanism; the second sloped surface to contact theedges of a larger article and to prevent lateral movement of the largerarticle as it is transferred.